Method for producing wafer notches with rounded corners and a tool therefor

摘要

A semiconductor wafer for use in the fabrication of semiconductor devices which includes a circular wafer (13) of semiconductor material having a perimeter and a notch (11) having a wall disposed in the wafer and extending to the perimeter which includes a preferably rounded apex (5) interior of the perimeter and a pair of rounded intersections (7, 9) between the wall and the perimeter. The notch is formed with a tool (23) for forming rounded corners in the semiconductor wafer which includes a body of a material having a hardness greater than the semiconductor wafer which has a generally rounded or paraboloidally shaped front portion having a forwardmost tip (25) portion and a wing portion (27) extending outwardly from the body and having a taper narrowing in the direction of the forwardmost tip portion. The wing portion can be one or more spaced apart wing members or the wing portion can be a single member which extends completely around the tool axis. The notch is formed by rotating the tool and moving the tool in a direction along a radius of the wafer until the wing portion contacts the wafer and forms a rounded intersection between the notch and the wafer perimeter in the shape of the intersection of the rounded tip portion and the wing of the tool.